Emma Husar (Lindsay, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that the rape and murder of Eurydice Dixon is the 30th instance of a woman being killed by men's violence against women in 2018;

(2) recognises the importance of providing strong leadership in changing men's behaviour towards women to prevent such behaviour by men;

(3) understands that:

(a) at least one women a week in Australia is killed at the hands of a man, usually a current or former partner;

(b) one in three Australian women has experienced physical violence since the age of 15; and

(c) one in five women has experienced sexual violence;

(4) acknowledges the social and economic impact that violence against women has on our communities; and

(5) encourages all Australians to not wait until International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (White Ribbon Day) in November to be active, engage on this issue and take action.

It shakes me to my core that in 2018 women are still not safe on our streets, in our communities and, more disturbingly, in their own homes. Women have been marching to reclaim the night since the 1970s and, frankly, I am tired of trying to take back something that should not have been taken from us to begin with. Rape, violence and murder still continue to be perpetrated against women, largely by men known to them. They are women who deserved better than what this government has done to protect them. I acknowledge all the women who have been killed at the hands of men. They were vibrant women who deserved better than to have their lives simply extinguished in moments, their final breaths painful and extremely violent. At the request of Eurydice Dixon's family, I wish today to remember all women killed by violence this year: Qi Yu, Caroline Willis, Karen Ashcroft, Cynda Miles, Katrina Miles, Debbie Combargno, Cecilia Haddad, Kay Dix, Teah Luckwell, Simone Fraser, Katherine Daley, Kerrie Keath, Marija Karovska, Le Ngoc Le, Sally Rothe, Radmila Stevanovic, Noura Khatib, Nancy Barclay, Amelia Blake, Antonia Tatchell, Margaret Indich and eight other, unnamed, women. One of these women was killed violently across the road from my own home. Time limits exclude me recounting the terrible ways in which all these women's final moments were spent. It is our collective responsibility to remember these women and act to keep all women across Australia safe.

I applaud the work that is being done by the Andrews government in Victoria, which is being led by their Minister for Women, Natalie Hutchins, and their new TV advertising campaign calling out disrespect of women. Lasting and meaningful change for women is what this country needs. It means leading by example and lifting your own standards, and holding those around you to account if they do or say something disrespectful to women. This is the exact kind of campaign we need to change the behaviour that we see far too often.

We have had a Prime Minister who has had no shortage of opportunities to call out his own members, senators and party members for disrespect, and each time he has failed dismally. The Prime Minister, at every opportunity—and that's every opportunity where he's wearing a white ribbon or a purple ribbon for White Ribbon Day or International Women's Day—says:

… not all disrespect of women ends up in violence against women, but all violence against women begins with disrespecting women.

What I hear from our community is, 'But what is he doing about it?' He has had ample time to stand up for women, which would mean standing up to his own colleagues. When Michaelia Cash, the then employment minister, cast aspersions over young, aspirational women working in the opposition leader's office, he said nothing. This was disrespect. He had the chance when the health minister got busted for verbally abusing and physically intimidating a woman, who then only apologised months after the media intervened. He missed his opportunity again. Recently, at a Liberal Party meeting, where an older women was physically assaulted by a man, he said nothing. These are all examples of disrespect towards women, and they are all reasonable and fine opportunities for this Prime Minister to demonstrate that his commitment to women is not just a set of well-chosen words; they are opportunities for him to demonstrate that he is prepared to act. His words and his actions do not accord with community expectations. We need a leader to lead, to act on real reform when it comes to violence against women; however, he has shown absolute cowardice in his ability to call out poor behaviour in his own cabinet. Silence and inaction will only allow this disrespect to continue. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. It is time this man raised his own bar and set the standard for the people around him and this country.

The Liberals talk a big game about being responsible economic managers; if this government is serious about creating real and meaningful change in this country, they would save the Australian economy an estimated $21.7 billion a year, not to mention countless lives of the women who deserve better. We need to speak up and we expect our leader to stand up. We need to speak up for the women who can no longer speak for themselves, women whose lives were tragically cut short by the scourge of gendered violence, because enough really is enough. The women of this country deserve better, and we need to act now before another woman is killed at the hands of her partner or at the hands of another man.

The most dangerous place for a woman on a Saturday night is in her own home surrounded by the people who love or claim to love her. This is not something that I want for my daughters, who are now 16 and 10. I do not want them marching for another 30 years in the streets to reclaim the night. May the women that we've lost already this year to gender violence rest in peace.

Sharon Bird (Cunningham, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Cathy O'Toole (Herbert, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the amendment and reserve my right to speak.

Damian Drum (Murray, National Party, Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I, too, want to thank the member for Lindsay for putting this motion before the chamber. I was delighted to be able to prepare my contribution along the totally non-political lines that I expected this debate to be held in. Unfortunately, I was hugely disappointed that the member for Lindsay decided to try and make this some form of political fight against Malcolm Turnbull. However, we just have to move on from this.

Ms Husar interjecting—

Maria Vamvakinou (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member will be heard without interruption.

Damian Drum (Murray, National Party, Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to simply lodge my support for the total push that this society has to have to make women feel safe in our community. If we do have an election in 12 months time and the Labor Party are lucky enough to win that election, they're not going to be able to stop domestic violence in the way that they think they might. However, the murder of Eurydice Dixon last week certainly has shocked everybody in Australia and it has brought this issue to the fore once again. It has also brought to the fore the statistic of one woman being murdered every week, effectively, in Australia. It has made all Australians sit up and think, 'What more can we be doing to make sure that this doesn't happen again?' I have a daughter who lives in Melbourne, not far from where Eurydice Dixon was murdered last week, and that rocks a father to the core. It goes back to those conversations that I think all fathers have to have with their sons, talking to them at the very earliest opportunity to ensure that they understand the high bar that needs to be set in relation to respect for women.

As the Prime Minister has rightly said, not all disrespect for women ends up in violence against women, but that's where all violence against women begins. We need to go on from that, and we need to make sure that in no way are we prepared to normalise the statistics that we have just read out. The 20-odd names that the member for Lindsay read to the chamber represent a totally heartbreaking story for each and every one of those families. It is ridiculous in this First World nation that we have such statistics and facts as part of our society.

I know that the Assistant Minister for Children and Families, David Gillespie, is working hard on the Safer Pathways network, which aims to increase the uptake of services for the prevention of domestic and family violence. In the budget that has just been handed down, the coalition government committed $54.4 million for services for women affected by violence and for online safety initiatives. Some of these budget initiatives include $11.5 million for the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service, 1800RESPECT—and that program is going to run for two years; $6.7 million to maintain funding for DV-alert, to continue domestic violence response training for our community frontline workers; and $14.2 million for the Office of the eSafety Commissioner, to make cyberspace safe for women.

The 2018-19 budget builds on more than $300 million that has been spent on women's safety in previous budgets. The government's existing investment in women's safety includes $100 million that was provided for a women's safety package in September 2015, with $59 million for practical, immediate action to keep women and children safe. There was also $36 million allocated for support and training for frontline services to deliver high-quality services for women who are in need.

The opportunity has never been greater for women to be able to do whatever they want, but right at the core of that is the responsibility of any society to keep its women and children safe. This motion is particularly about our women. They have the right to be safe, and we need to do everything that we can to assist with that aim and that right.

Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm saddened to speak on this motion put forward by the member for Lindsay, but I thank her for moving it. I am sickened by the senseless death of young, talented Eurydice Dixon and would like to take this opportunity to extend my condolences to her family, her friends and her fans. I am also saddened that Eurydice was the 30th woman to be killed by men's violence against women in 2018. I acknowledge the member for Lindsay reading out that long list of names. Sadly, we are not even quite halfway through the year—too many deaths. Eurydice's death has touched many, right across the country. The fact that we are in parliament today speaking on this motion bears testimony to this. Let's make sure that her death, as horrific and sad as it is, is a catalyst for change. Violence against women weighs heavy on this nation's soul. It is everyone's business and everyone's problem, and it's particularly incumbent upon me and all men to force change.

Before we can fix a problem, we need to better understand it. Fortunately we have some wonderful organisations in Australia who assist women who have suffered violence by men. I'd like to particularly mention the Women's Legal Service Queensland, who are located in Annerley in my electorate of Moreton. Some of these organisations are also doing valuable research so we can learn about the signs and triggers when it comes to violence against women. From this research, some of the persistent myths peddled by some people are gradually being dispelled. Myths like: violence against women is perpetrated by average blokes who snap and turn violent out of the blue. Research by the Domestic and Family Violence Death Review Network showed that men commit 80 per cent of murders in couples with a history of domestic violence. Overwhelmingly, the majority of those men had a history of abusing the women that they ultimately killed. One-third of these murders were committed by men after the relationship had ended. This research is important. It tells us there are warning signs—warning signs that we are ignoring.

Further data was released last week from the New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research. That data should make all Australian men stop and think. It revealed a 40.7 per cent average increase in domestic violence and 71.8 per cent increase in non-domestic assaults across New South Wales on State of Origin game nights. Over the six years that the data was collated, the spike in domestic and non-domestic violence on State of Origin game nights was significant and consistent. In the 12 hours from 6 pm on game nights, women and children in New South Wales are almost 40 per cent more likely to become victims of domestic violence. I'm sure Queensland, sadly, would replicate those results, depending on what happens on the field that night. This is a frightening statistic. I mean, I love the State of Origin series. I get a bit sad sometimes. But I think sport contributes to a cohesive society, but with statistics like these that I've just mentioned, we need to take a closer look at what we can do to curb these spikes in violence. The State of Origin series is played by men; I know there is a women's game started, but these statistics relate to the men's series. The State of Origin and Rugby League in Australia are governed overwhelmingly by men. It is clear from this research that Rugby League games are actually putting women at risk. It's clear from this research that we need to do more. What we don't know is why.

This is a problem that men have the power to fix and that men need to fix, and men need to fix it now. It is unacceptable that women live in fear of being injured or killed by a male partner or former partner, and it is unacceptable that women are sometimes blamed when men rape or murder them. Obviously, most men are good, decent people who would never hurt a woman, but it is up to good, decent men and good, decent women to call out behaviour that contributes to violence against women—particularly men, all men.

White Ribbon Australia suggests five actions for men. No. 1 if someone says something that makes you feel uncomfortable, ask them to repeat it or say to them, 'I'm not sure what you mean.' No. 2 bring it home; challenge the person who is being disrespectful by saying, 'What if this was your sister or your daughter or your son?' No. 3 turn the conversation around by saying, 'I believe abusing a woman is wrong.' No. 4, if you're in a group and the conversation is uncomfortable, ask if anyone else feels uncomfortable too. No. 5 talk to the person privately about what they said or did and its effect on others.

Sadly, nothing will bring Eurydice Dixon back, but she should never be forgotten. We all have the power to prevent more violence against women. Let's start today. I again thank the member for Lindsay for having the courage and conviction to bring this motion into the parliament.

Sarah Henderson (Corangamite, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is my pleasure to rise and speak on this motion, albeit a motion that reflects on the terrible and tragic death of a young woman in Melbourne, Eurydice Dixon, and I want to say my heartfelt condolences go to her friends and to her family. This was a tragic and horrific death—a death that, like every other death of any woman in a violent situation, should never have happened.

There is no doubt that, as we all know, domestic violence and family violence is a scourge in our community. It is absolutely unacceptable that on average one woman every week is dying at the hands of a partner or former partner. This is an unbearable statistic, and I'm very proud of the work that we as a committee—the member for Lindsay and other members of the committee, and of course the member for Chisholm, who is here with me—have done in making a range of recommendations to address family violence law reform in the federal context.

I do want to make this particular point, though: this terrible and tragic death did not happen in a domestic violence setting. Eurydice Dixon died at the hands of someone we understand she did not know. It was, for all we know, a psychopath. Frankly, anyone who does this is not mentally well, is psychopathic in their treatment of any other person. We all deserve, whether we are women or men, to be able to walk through the streets or through our parks in safety. Of course, that is not guaranteed, and that's why I commend Victoria Police for the warning that they gave, saying 'please be careful', because at the time they gave the warning to Melburnians the alleged perpetrator of this evil act had not been arrested or caught. I remind everyone that this matter is before the courts, so we need to be very careful about what we say in relation to this terrible and tragic murder.

First of all, I want to make it clear that I commend Victoria Police. I don't think it's right that Victoria Police were criticised in the aftermath of this tragedy, because, frankly, whether you're a young woman or a young man, in a dangerous situation it is perfectly appropriate for Victoria Police to issue such a warning. I know that any parent would want that warning, whether they be the parent of a young woman or a young man, or anyone, in fact, who is walking through a park where a terrible tragedy such as this had just occurred. As police have said, it is dangerous, so it is very appropriate and proper that the community should be appropriately warned.

I will reflect on an article written by Karen Matthews in The Geelong Advertiser just last Saturday, in which she made that very point. She said she found some of the sentiments to be offensive. She said,

It began with a wave of indignation by some criticising police for advising women to be mindful of their safety while walking alone at night.

She went on to write:

Now I don't know what police were supposed to say following such an awful crime but I'm pretty sure it wasn't, "Everything is OK, keep doing what you're doing, you'll be right."

Critics also chose to ignore the fact that at that particular stage, no one had yet been apprehended and charged over the killing, so not only was the advice given by police appropriate but also vital to the protection of others.

I absolutely agree with the sentiment of Karen Matthews and many others in our community who have commended the police.

I will finish by saying I'm incredibly proud of the Turnbull government's commitment to women's safety. In this budget we've made a range of commitments. Another $54.4 million is being committed for the 1800RESPECT line for more investment in front-line workers right across the spectrum, and we will to work very hard to keep women in our community safe. (Time expired)

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I too rise to speak on this very important motion on violence against women that is before the House and to thank the member for Lindsay for bringing this forward. I was very pleased to be able to second the motion.

The death of Eurydice Dixon was tragic news across the nation. She was on her way home from a comedy gig, crossing a park, Princes Park in Melbourne, when she was raped and murdered. Her body was found the next morning by a random passer-by. I didn't know Eurydice, but from all accounts she was a bold, sassy and fabulously opinionated woman, and her life was cut tragically short by a senseless act of violence purely and simply because she was there and she was a woman.

I don't think we should tiptoe around the fact that we have a problem with gendered violence in Australia. That is very clear from all the evidence before us. There is perhaps no clearer symbol of the entrenched gendered inequities than the epidemic of violence and harassment against women in Australia. Certainly, there has been a 13 per cent increase in partner violence against women since 2012. In 2016 alone, over 210,000 Australian women experienced violence at the hands of a current or former partner. Eurydice's death was not at the hands of a former or current partner, but it is very clear that her death is very much part of a much larger issue of gendered violence in Australia. One in two Australian women have been sexually harassed in their lifetimes—that's what our research now tells us. Again, last year alone, 1.6 million women reported being sexually harassed. These are not small and insignificant numbers.

We need to be really clear here that it is not about women having to modify their behaviours. Women have absolutely every right to feel safe in public spaces; in their workplaces; in their homes, where most of this violence against women actually takes place; or indeed online, which is becoming an increasingly problematic area of safety for women.

Last year I was part of a major consultation process across the nation that the Labor Party undertook in terms of what Australian women expected from governments, and I can tell you that, if violence against women isn't the No. 1 issue, it is always one of the top three issues. When you talk to Australian women, whether they're in cities, country towns or regional centres, regardless of their class and status in society, this is the No. 1 issue, as it should be with figures like those we've seen already.

If anything is to come from the tragic loss of Eurydice's life, and the 29 other women who have been killed in acts of violence this year alone, then we need to understand that there are serious structural reforms that need to take place in Australia—reforms to ensure that our prevention agencies, like Our Watch and ANROWS, are adequately funded and supported; that things like respectful relationships in education programs are supported and undertaken in this country; that we have a national focus on the prevention of sexual harassment in workplaces, university campuses and colleges; and that we properly fund women's specialist services, homelessness and legal services, and services for women escaping violence. Nothing less will do.

Julia Banks (Chisholm, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Eurydice Dixon was 22 years old, a budding comedian and well loved in her community in Melbourne. Her life was tragically ended by the actions of another, and her death has created a shock wave throughout the community, our city of Melbourne and across the nation. Women and men from all over Melbourne, from varied backgrounds and of diverse ages, gathered at Carlton's Princes Park in a silent vigil to mourn this tragic loss of life, as we did in Parliament House in Canberra. Eurydice Dixon was the victim of a shocking crime. As has recently been reported, Victoria Police Commissioner Graham Ashton said:

In society, even in the safest society, evil occurs. People will do evil things and for reasons you just can't understand. You see it in every community in the world.

And we as a nation saw evil and grief for Eurydice Dixon and her family and friends.

Our Australian culture does not condone violence against women, and it is wrong to attribute responsibility for such violence and attitudes to all men. When one man commits an evil act it should not be collectively attributed to all men. Men who abuse or commit violent crimes against women are held as much in contempt by Australian men as they are by Australian women. As we know, it has been reported that, shockingly, the most likely place for a woman to be killed is in her own home. Domestic homicides occur when the victim is killed by a family member or partner, and the overwhelming majority of victims of domestic homicides are women.

As parents, we have a responsibility to raise our children to have and show respect for all people in their lives and, especially, to tackle entrenched cultural and societal bias against women. In the workplace and in the community, we must facilitate complex discussions about the barriers to equality and, with particular reference to this motion, about the barriers which denigrate respect to women.

The Turnbull government has a zero tolerance for violence against women, and we have already committed $54.4 million to services for women affected by violence and for online safety initiatives for women. We've committed an additional $11½ million for the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service 1800RESPECT over the next two years as a frontline response service for affected survivors. We've also delivered $6.7 million to maintain funding for DV-alert to continue its domestic violence response training for community frontline workers, $14.2 million over four years for the Office of the eSafety Commissioner to help make cyberspace safer for women and, importantly, $22 million over five years to address abuse of older Australians, which affects up to 20 per cent of elderly women. This builds on the more than $300 million that has been spent on women's safety.

Approximately every seven minutes Victoria Police receives a call for a family violence incident. In nearly all of these cases it is a woman on other end of the line seeking police assistance, who is calling from their home or who has fled their violent partner or spouse. I disagree with the unwarranted criticism of Victoria Police in the context of the Eurydice Dixon case. Their advice was well intentioned and in the context of a horrific crime. I would like to place on record my gratitude to Victoria Police, to its frontline defenders and preventers of violence against women, such as the wonderful and too-often unsung heroes at the Family Violence Command. I would also like to thank local figures in my electorate of Chisholm, such as the Box Hill police station's Senior Sergeant Ron Sinclair and his amazing team, who work day in, day out and have played an integral role in engaging culturally and linguistically diverse leaders throughout Chisholm to drive change within our community in this regard.

In closing, I would like to repeat the words which have been said before by our Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull with respect to violence against women. Those words are:

Disrespecting women doesn't always result in violence against women but all violence against women begins with disrespecting women.

Maria Vamvakinou (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.